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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer

SynopsisSir Gareth Ludlow is a sought-after bachelor in London high society—wealthy, noble, handsome…and brokenhearted since the death of his true love many years ago. Resigned to remarry, Sir Gareth solicits the hand of a woman he respects and admires—Lady Hester Theale. But fate takes an impish turn when, on his way to ask for Lady Hester, Sir Gareth encounters a saucy young lady who identifies herself as "Amanda Smith."

Amanda is alone and unchaperoned, and her imaginative tales take on a life of their own, sweeping up Sir Gareth, Lady Hester and several other hapless victims in a series of unexpected adventures. And no one, especially Sir Gareth, will ever be the same again.…

ReviewSprig Muslin was so far outside of my comfort zone I continually postponed reading it. Out of library renewals, I finally sat down and read the book and I am so glad I did. While I did have to spend some time looking up words and phrases like "box her ears", abigail and dropsy, I found myself swept away in a world very much like those created by Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, but with a touch more adventure. Sir Gareth was very entertaining, but I spent most of the book wanting to smack Amanda right in the mouth. She was one of those characters that you hate, but know how necessary they are to the story. And what a good story it was, with an ending that could only be described as completely heartwarming.

I first read Sprig Muslin almost forty years ago. I loved it from the start. And have enjoyed it every time I've re-read it since. If you enjoy reading Regency tales, then this is a lovely one to read. If you're not familiar with Regency era stories, you should still enjoy it.

Perhaps I'm a simpler sort. I found it very funny, but then, I wasn't reading it for review purposes--purely for enjoyment.